Golden Sun Extras
by jollygreendragon
Summary: A collection of short stories based in the Golden Sun universe, but within the canon of my other story, Drops of Jupiter, and any sequels/prequels/spinoffs thereof.
1. Mixed Blessings

**Golden Sun belongs to Nintendo and Camelot, not me. Support them if you like the series! I just write fanstuff. And if you feel like borrowing any of my original ideas, please, go right ahead.**

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><p><em>This "story" is more of a compilation of unconnected shorts that I plan to write whenever they spring up. Basically, I want a way to solidify my changes to Golden Sun's canon without breaking the flow of the story. I spend way too much space at the end of each chapter with Author's Notes already, and if I decide I want to explain a change I've made, I feel like it'd be better just to put it here. All stories are canon to Drops of Jupiter, as well as any other bits of fiction that I may or may not write in the same universe.<em>

_Story has a T rating (for now), but individual chapters will have their own ratings based on what age group I think would be okay with it. If I write one that's M-rated, I'll change the age group for the story as a whole._

_Each chapter will be preceded with a passage like this one:_

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><p><em><strong>Title:<strong> MIXED BLESSINGS_

_**Genre:** Drama  
><em>

_**Rating:** K+ _

_**Characters:** Ivan, Karis_

_**Summary:** Ivan discovers that Karis is unable to use Mind Read for the first time, and does his best to convince her that it is, in fact, a good thing._

_**Origin:** A review mentioned that Ivan's behavior was odd considering that he felt his mind-reading was a curse rather than a blessing. I pointed out that we hadn't heard that straight from him since he was 14, and that it is only mentioned in Dark Dawn by Karis, who seemed relieved that she didn't have the same gift._

_**Time period:** Before Dark Dawn  
><em>

* * *

><p>"Happy 4th Birthday, Karis!" Ivan said as he handed his daughter the leash.<p>

She beamed, her green pigtails bouncing as she hopped up and down excitedly. "Daddy, he's so cute! What's his name?"

Her brand-new puppy gave her hand a friendly lick before he sat down and began scratching his ear. Karis held the leash very tightly to make sure he wouldn't run away. She was a little bit scared of the dog, having never been this close to one before, but it was so fuzzy and adorable – her curiosity far outweighed her fear, and she loved the puppy by default because it was a present from her father.

Ivan shrugged. "You get to name him. He's yours, after all."

Karis gave the dog a big hug. When she let go, her new friend flopped over and raised his belly to the sky, hoping for a quick rub. "I don't know, Daddy! I can't think of a name. Can we just call him puppy for now?"

"Sure, if you like," Ivan said with a smile. He bent down and rubbed the dog's tummy, its leg kicking excitedly. "But you could always ask him for an opinion. He has a mind of his own, you know."

Karis grinned. She kneeled down next to the puppy's head and spoke into one of his ears. "Hello, Mr Puppy! Can you tell me your name?"

The dog barked noncommittally. His tail wagged from side to side.

"No, no," Ivan said as he leaned toward his daughter. "You know. 'Ask him'," he whispered.

Karis looked at her father, confused.

Ivan sighed. "Well, I mean..." He shook his head. "I'll just show you."

He closed his eyes and opened his mind. He continued rubbing the dog's belly, but his other hand went to grasp his daughter's hand.

"_Woof! I'm a dog!"_ Ivan heard. _"I am happy to meet both of you!"_

Karis's jaw dropped open "Whoa! That's so cool, Daddy! Can you teach me how to do that?"

Ivan paused as he let go of his daughter's hand.

"You mean... you can't do it? Have you ever tried?" Ivan knew that Karis had some talent with psynergy, and it hadn't come from his wife – she was a non-adept. Why wouldn't Karis be able to read minds as well?

Karis shook her head. "I don't know! That sure is neat, though. Okay, I'm going to try! Think of something!" She pressed her hands to her temples and screwed up her face in concentration.

In any other case, Ivan would have found pose hilarious. But what if she failed? What if she hadn't inherited the talent?

Ivan smiled and nodded, however, and to the exclusion of all others, a single thought filled every nook and cranny of his mind: _I have the greatest four-year-old in the world._

He waited a few seconds. He was about to speak up when she began to hum loudly in a deep monotone. "HMMMMMMM!" She stared at his forehead intently.

Ivan continued to trumpet the thought all throughout his mind. He thought of himself saying it, he thought of the visible shape of the words, he thought of emotions and images associated with it. If she had even an ounce of mindreading talent, she would be able to get it.

His hopes evaporated after a minute and a half of her "intense focus."

Suddenly, she pointed a finger at him triumphantly. " 'Potatoes!' That is what you were thinking, Daddy!"

Ivan frowned, his heart breaking just a little. She didn't have it. She didn't have the Mind Read ability that was her birthright.

He shook his head. "Nope. That's not what I was thinking at all. Are you hungry, maybe? It's almost dinner time, maybe we should-"

Karis frowned, her eyes downcast. "But... I tried my best! You can do it, why can't I?"

Ivan put a consoling hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, it's very rare for people to be able to do it. Your mom can't, for example. Your friends Matthew and Tyrell can't. The only other people I know who can do it are my friend Sheba and your aunt Hama."

But it didn't help. A single tear streaked down Karis's cheek.

"But... I want to be able to talk to my new puppy, like you can," she said weakly. "I want to do everything you can do. You're so cool, Daddy! You and all of your friends! I... I can do things with the wind, too, and I was so proud when I realized I might be able to be like you."

The dog hopped up, confused about the sudden lack of attention, and rubbed its head against Karis's arm. She sat down and gave it a tight hug. "I'm sorry, doggy, but I guess I'll never find out your name. Unless your name is woof. Is it woof, puppy?" She turned to her father as she sniffled loudly. "Is his name woof?"

Ivan tried his best to hold back his own tears. "You know what, Karis?" he began. "I'm glad you can't read minds. I really am. You see, when I was younger, everyone knew I could do it, and no one wanted to be around me. Everyone has things they don't want people to find out, but when you can read minds, you can learn those things anyway. It isn't fair, and people don't like having their secrets discovered."

Karis rubbed her eyes. "Really? You were picked on because you could do a trick like that?"

"That's right. My first real friends were Isaac and Garet, in fact." Ivan kneeled down and picked up his daughter. "Sheba had it worse than I did. When the king of her homeland found out about her abilities, he kidnapped her and used her to read the minds of anyone he thought might be a bad guy."

In truth, Ivan was being half-honest with Karis. When he was younger, he HAD considered his mind-reading a curse. And it really had turned out to be a bad thing for Sheba, though it was a result of Babi's exploitation rather than the powers themselves. But over time, he learned to be a little more subtle with it. People didn't know he had the ability unless he told them, so... he didn't tell them. And he used it responsibly, too – only for the benefit of others, or to bring people to justice. His wife certainly seemed to appreciate it... some of the time.

He wished desperately that he could grant his daughter the same gift. She would have suffered none of the antagonism that he had, now that they lived in Kalay among friends. And maybe in the future, when she and her friends were older, she would have made good use of the power, just as he had with Isaac, Garet and Mia.

"I feel sad that that happened to you, Daddy," Karis said.

"Me too," Ivan said honestly.

"I'm glad that I can't read minds. Thanks, Daddy," Karis said.

"...I'm glad too," Ivan replied hesitantly.

At least she wouldn't be able to tell when he was lying.


	2. Where It Gets Weird

**Golden Sun belongs to Nintendo and Camelot, not me. Support them if you like the series! I just write fanstuff. And if you feel like borrowing any of my original ideas, please, go right ahead.**

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><p><em><strong>Title:<strong> WHERE IT GETS WEIRD_

_**Genre:** Drama/Family  
><em>

_**Rating:** K+ _

_**Characters:** Matthew, Sveta, Isaac_

_**Summary:** Near future, Matthew and Sveta have just had their second child. Isaac visits his new granddaughter and prepares to broach some exciting yet unsettling news._

_**Origin:** Nothing really, just felt like writing some thing a bit ahead in the timeline. Having immortal parents tends to... complicate things. I felt it necessary to explore a bit of that._

_**Time period:** After Drops of Jupiter  
><em>

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><p>The tiny feet of a two-year-old half-beastman could be heard throughout the home as Vol toddled toward the living room. "Mama! Daddy! Grandma and Grandpa are coming!" he shouted as he entered.<p>

Matthew put a finger to his lips. "Shh! Keep it down a little, Vol. Your sister is sleeping."

Baby Emily had not stirred in her mother's arms. Sveta rocked her back and forth gently as she smiled at her son. "Do not worry, Volechek. It will simply take some getting used to, but you will need to be more quiet than normal when she is asleep."

Little Vol put his hand over his mouth. "Sorry, Mama. Will she be awake to see Grandma and Grandpa?"

Sveta nodded. "They will be here for a few days, yes. There shall be plenty of time. Will you take your father to go out and meet with them?"

Matthew stood on queue. He held Vol's hand as they walked to the door and went outside.

"Did you see them walking down the road?" Matthew asked quietly.

Vol shook his head. "I saw a..." He waved a hand in the air. "A flying thing."

"Are you sure it was the right one?" Matthew asked. His son nodded vigorously. The little one pointed and began jumping excitedly.

"There! Hi, Grandpa!" he shouted. Matthew cringed at the sudden change in volume.

Sure enough, Isaac was walking along the road to the house Matthew and Sveta shared. He waved to them as he approached. "How's my favorite grandson doing?" he said, his deep voice carrying a long distance.

Vol ran up and gave his grandfather a hug. Matthew followed somewhat more slowly. "Good to see you, Dad," he said. "Where's Mom? Is she with you?"

Isaac cleared his throat. "She, umm... well, I flew over here. She's going by land because she didn't feel up to flying."

Matthew cocked his head. "Didn't feel up to it? Is she sick?"

Isaac took a deep breath and rolled his shoulders back. "Uh, not exactly," he began. "She's sort of-"

"Grandpa! I have a sister!" Vol interrupted. "Please come in, she is asleep, be quiet."

Isaac looked at his son in askance. Matthew nodded. "Right, of course. Come on inside, make yourself at home. And yes, he's right. My daughter," he said with a swell of pride, "is sound asleep in her mother's arms."

Isaac grinned widely. "That's fantastic, Matthew. Absolutely fantastic." He took a breath as if to continue, but stopped himself.

Matthew shrugged inwardly. Isaac was being cagey again. It ran in the family. But there was a new baby to show off, and her father was more than willing to brag about her until Isaac opened up a little.

They walked into the home.

* * *

><p>Matthew led the way into the living room where Sveta still sat. "She still asleep?" he asked in hushed tones.<p>

Sveta nodded as Isaac and Vol followed. "Thank you for being so quiet," she said. She smiled at Isaac. "It is nice to see you again! How was the trip?"

Isaac gave a slight bow. "Quick and easy, thank you. Jenna will be arriving in a day or so, she decided to take a different route." He motioned toward the baby. "Have you named her yet?"

Sveta's eyes practically glowed with excitement. "Emily," she said. "Not named after anyone, but it is a beautiful name, I think. Matthew suggested it."

Matthew nodded happily. "Sveta says she looks like me, too. I can see it in the hair color, and the, uh, lack of fur. But while I know it's a little cliche to say, she definitely has her mother's eyes."

Isaac laughed. "I know the feeling. I really do."

Sveta giggled. "It is funny, you know, looking at the two of you standing side-by-side like that. You are almost identical. People would mistake you for brothers."

Isaac raised his left hand and displayed the ring worn proudly on his third finger. "Sorry, miss, I'm taken," he said jokingly.

"I suppose I shall have to console myself with the more attractive of the pair, then," Sveta replied with mock indignation. "Perhaps the one that belongs to ME will come over here for a moment, if he would like to hold his daughter?"

Matthew smiled and sat next to his wife. She handed him the baby. A warm serenity spread through him as he looked at his daughter's face, her eyes shut and her breathing light.

Vol gave Isaac a hug. "I will stay with Grandpa. He is interesting," he said carefully.

Isaac smirked. "This one even talks like his mother!" he said. "Has he tried psynergy yet?"

Matthew nodded. "He's a Jupiter. Had a lot of fun blowing leaves around the other day. Quick learner, too."

Isaac paused. "Jupiter, right. So... has he developed the mindreading talent yet?"

Matthew looked at Sveta. She shook her head. "I did not develop it until my teenage years," she explained. "It is instinctive, though, and in childhood one can most likely still obtain flashes of what others are thinking."

One of Isaac's feet moved away as if in reflex, but he held his position. Vol was too tightly wrapped around his leg to go anywhere anyway.

"Mama says people do not like it when their minds are read," Vol said, "but I do not know how to read yet, so you do not have to be scared, Grandpa."

Isaac laughed. "Thanks, Vol. I'll keep that in mind."

Emily stirred. Matthew's smile deepened. "She's waking up," he said, as if anyone had failed to notice.

She began to cry weakly. Sveta took her back from her father. She rocked Emily gently and the crying abated somewhat, but it didn't quite cease. A quick flash of psynergy flowed through Sveta as she used her Spirit Sense. "She is hungry," she said with a smile. "I will be back in a few minutes. Please make yourself at home!" She picked up her daughter and walked up the stairs to what was one the spare room, now occupied by a crib and some stuffed animals.

Matthew watched them leave, his eyes twinkling. "Babies are great, but they're a lot of work. It seems like Vol only just grew out of that, and now we're going right back in." He looked at Isaac. "It's been a while since you had to deal with a baby, huh?"

Isaac's eyes widened for a split second before returning to normal. He sighed. "Yeah, I..." He scratched his head. "Yeah."

Matthew didn't notice. "You know, I always wondered what it'd be like to have a younger brother or sister. Rief always told me what a pain it was, but I feel like it might've been different, you know?" He looked at Vol. "There's always the chance that your two kids will get along famously. I hope that happens with you, right Vol?"

The toddler nodded. "She is the only sister I have got," he said in a very practiced tone, making it sound like he had repeated – or had it repeated to him – many times over. "And I must take care of her and be kind to her and not be hurt if she is mean to me back."

Matthew nodded. "That's right. She's just a baby now, and if she bites you or something, it's because she doesn't know any better, okay?" He giggled, still a little giddy from holding his daughter in his arms. "When she's older, THEN you'll have the excuse to be mean to each other."

Isaac bit his lower lip. "I'm sure they'll get along great," he said.

Vol looked at his grandfather with a confused expression. A flash of psynergy blew through him. "What is wrong?" he asked. "Grandpa is scared. Why are you scared, Grandpa?"

Matthew's smile faded. "Dad? What's up?"

"Well, I'm... I'm not exactly scared. But you're close, Vol. I'm anxious. I'm nervous."

"What about?" Matthew asked as he sat forward in his seat.

Isaac cleared his throat and sat in a chair on the other end of the room. He motioned for Vol to join him and picked the toddler up on his lap. "Vol," he began, "Did you know your father spent his whole life without a brother or sister? You're a little ahead of him like that, don't you think?"

Vol nodded. "When a mommy or a daddy has a brother or sister, then the baby calls the brother an uncle and the sister an aunt," he said. "Mommy told me that. She said I was named after my uncle, but my uncle had to go away. She misses him."

Isaac nodded. "I'm sure she does. He was a good man, from what I knew of him."

"I have not met Daddy's uncle," Vol continued, "but Daddy says that is okay because his uncle is kind of scary," he whispered.

Matthew scratched his head as Isaac laughed. "Yup, Felix is kind of like that. I think you'd like him if you met him." He sighed again. "...Maybe not your aunt. We'll see."

"Dad." Matthew said. "You're avoiding the question."

Isaac nodded. He swallowed hard. "Right, so. You asked why Jenna wasn't coming by air, right?"

Matthew nodded. "What's wrong? You didn't have a fight again-"

"No, no!" Isaac said. "Far from it. The truth is... uh..."

He took a deep breath. "The truth is..."

He looked at Vol. "So, uh... you might end up with an aunt or uncle of your own soon. How do you feel about that?"

Vol's face brightened as he clapped his paws excitedly. Matthew's expression was neutral, but his face was a little pale.

Isaac nodded. "Jenna's pregnant again. We just found out a little before I left. It's odd, for a woman in her fifties. But..."

Matthew finished for him. "But normal doesn't exactly apply to you. I know." He frowned. "I'm... I'm excited, I really am. I'm looking forward to it. It feels strange, knowing I'll finally have a brother or sister soon. But... this is where our family starts getting weird, isn't it?"

Isaac smiled sadly. "Yes... yes, I think it is, Matthew."

The younger of the two leaned back in his seat. "Well... I knew this'd happen eventually. I caught up with you. Sveta noticed it. Everyone's probably going to notice it. And my new brother or sister's already got a niece and nephew older than him or her."

Vol hopped off his grandfather's knee and walked over to Matthew. "It is okay, Daddy," he said, "My new uncle or aunt will be just like a brother or sister and I will be nice to them too!"

He sat on his father's lap this time. "So you see, Daddy, you do not have to be a brother. I will do it for you."

Matthew feigned a smile. "Thanks, Vol. I can always count on you."

Isaac walked across the room and sat beside Matthew. He laughed meekly. "Babies are always exciting news, aren't they? Exciting in more ways than one."

"I'm... going to leave you behind," Matthew said, his voice cracking. "Sveta and I will grow old, and you and Mom won't. Vol and Emily will have families of their own, and you two will still be together. You'll see your great-grandchildren, and your great-great-grandchildren, and..."

Isaac coughed and rubbed an eye. "Yup. That's... that's true. It's in the future, but it'll happen. I don't know if we'll keep having kids, but it'll happen... sure as anything."

Matthew smiled, a genuine smile this time. "I'm happy for you. Really. 'Til death do you part, right? And if you never die..."

Isaac laughed. "Forever is a long time, but I think we can handle it. We've faced a lot, your mother and I, in our day."

Matthew shook his head. "Don't say 'in our day.' It makes you sound old."

"We ARE old," Isaac corrected.

Matthew sighed. "No," he said solemnly, "you aren't."

Both men were silent for a bit. The crying had ceased upstairs some time ago, and Sveta began padding down the steps quietly. "Emily is asleep again," she said. "What is wrong? Did something happen?"

Vol gave a smile that showed all of his wolflike teeth. "Mama, I'm getting an uncle or an aunt!" he whispered proudly.

Sveta's ears jerked upward as she brought a hand to her chest. "Jenna? _Really?_" she asked, perhaps a little louder than she had intended.

Isaac nodded with a smile. "That's why she'll be a little delayed. She was worried that altitude changes might be bad for the baby. No one's really had a chance to look into that, not that we're volunteering."

Sveta smiled. "I am so happy for you two! This is exciting, is it not, Matthew?"

Matthew nodded. "Exciting in all sorts of ways."

"Our children will grow up to be friends, I am sure. An aunt or uncle younger than their niece and nephew – can you imagine?" Sveta said, her hands clasped. "Do you think the baby will be a boy? Or a girl?"

Isaac shrugged. "It's too early to know."

"Perhaps a Mars adept this time? Or do you think another Venus?" she pressed.

Again, Isaac shrugged and shook his head.

Matthew stood. "I think I'll go start getting dinner ready," he said. "That's great news, Dad. I'm sure Mom'll have a lot to say too when she gets here."

Sveta's face brighened even further. "Oh, I am so looking forward to it! We can exchange birth stories, and... and oh, Isaac, did you know it is much easier the second time? It is true! And when I was pregnant with Vol, I tried using Spirit Sense, and..."

As Matthew walked toward the kitchen the sounds of the conversation began to fade, replaced by the clatter of pots and pans. He didn't even hear his son's footsteps as Vol came into the room.

"Daddy, are you sad that you are getting a brother or sister?"

Matthew jumped. He turned to his son. "Oh, no, not at all! I'm looking forward to it. We won't be able to play together, or share any interests, or any of the other things you and your sister get to do, but having a sibling is probably great on its own, too." He laughed. "You'd know that better than I would."

Vol smiled. "Everything is changing! It is so exciting. I am excited. Are you excited?"

Matthew nodded. "I am."

"You do not sound excited," Vol said.

"Well, I'm also a little scared," Matthew said with a shrug. "Change is a good thing, but sometimes too much change can be uncomfortable. Still, it's something you learn to live with."

Vol nodded in a wide arc. "I want..." he paused, muttering under his breath. After a moment he continued. "I want... FIVE brothers! And six sisters."

Matthew laughed. "Why six sisters? Why not five?" he asked.

"Because Mama had a brother, and Grandma has a brother, and now Daddy is getting a brother maybe. There are too many brothers," the little one said helpfully.

Matthew kneeled down. "What if I get a sister?" he asked.

Vol thought for a moment. "Five and five. Because I have one sister already. Too many is crowded."

Matthew laughed again. "Good thinking." He messed his son's hair playfully. "Now, I'm gonna make dinner. Would you mind going back with Mom for a bit? And don't tell them what I said, we should just keep that between us."

Vol nodded. "I will not tell them, Daddy, I promise. But it will be okay, Daddy! You will see. I think changes are good." And he turned and left.

Matthew sighed. "I hope you're right. I really do," he said.


	3. End of the Road Pt1

**Golden Sun belongs to Nintendo and Camelot, not me. Support them if you like the series! I just write fanstuff. And if you feel like borrowing any of my original ideas, please, go right ahead.**

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><p><em><strong>Title:<strong> END OF THE ROAD (part 1)_

_**Genre:** Tragedy  
><em>

_**Rating:** T _

_**Characters:** Garet, Tyrell, Mia_

_**Summary:** Garet's wife is killed mysteriously while on an errand. Garet himself ends up a broken man and Tyrell ends up having to fend for himself while his father fails to deal with grief. The other Warriors of Vale do their best to support the family, but what is there to do aside from well-wishing and good intentions?_

_**Origin:** A request by JamesK716, seeing as how we have little to no backstory on Garet and Tyrell. Their tragic history is just begging to be fleshed out._

_**Time period:** Before Dark Dawn  
><em>

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><p>Swing. Chop. The crack in the wood opened just a little wider.<p>

Tyrell wiped the sweat from his brow and yawned. Chopping firewood was boring, boring work, and the sun was really beginning to beat down on him. He pulled the hatchet out, raised it again and brought it down once more. The block of wood finally split in half.

He put the axe down and carried the wood over to the pile next to his house. In his opinion, the pile was already more than big enough. They could live off of this for a while – why keep building up the stockpile? Tyrell's arms were tired already.

Nevertheless, he retrieved another good-sized log and placed it on the chopping block. The twelve-year-old raised the axe and groaned at the futility of it all. The to-do pile never seemed to get any smaller. He started to bring the hatchet down again.

"Tyrell! Hey!"

The voice distracted Tyrell for a moment, causing him to miss slightly and, instead of cutting the log neatly in half, removing just a sliver from the end before the hatchet embedded itself in the chopping block.

Tyrell left the hatchet where it was and cursed under his breath. "Karis! Can you maybe NOT do that when I'm cutting wood?" he shouted. "I could've chopped my leg off, and then you would've gotten in big trouble for it!"

Tyrell's friends, Karis and Matthew, stood several feet away. Karis stood up straight, her arms folded over her chest and her cheeks puffed in frustration. She stood a few inches taller than Matthew, who simply grinned silently.

"It's not my fault you can't aim worth anything, you dolt!" Karis cried back. "And anyway, how was I supposed to get your attention? Tap you on the shoulder? Then you might've hit ME!"

Tyrell smiled. "Well, that would've been your fault too, Miss Growth Spurt! That'll teach you to stand behind people swinging axes!" He stuffed his hands into his pockets. "So how are you guys doing?"

Matthew gave a quick thumbs-up and Karis shrugged.

"We were going to go exploring in the woods," she said. "and we were wondering if you wanted to come along."

Tyrell couldn't put his finger on it, but there was something odd about how Karis was acting. Something about her mood – anticipation? Happiness, but also a bit of fear? - threw him off. He sighed and shook his head. "Sorry, guys, my dad wants me to finish chopping all this stupid firewood," he said. "I hope you have a fun time without me, though."

"You can't come?" Karis asked. She bit her thumb in thought, and after a moment, gave a hint of a smile. "Well, I guess Matthew and I will just have to have fun on our own, won't we?"

Tyrell sighed. She seemed much happier than she should've been that he wasn't coming. Did they not want him around, or...? No, Matthew seemed genuinely disappointed. What was up with Karis, then?

She smiled and gave Tyrell a quick wave goodbye. "I'm sorry you're stuck at home doing chores! Maybe tomorrow we can do something fun." She grabbed Matthew's hand and began to pull him away. "C'mon, let's get going-"

Matthew opened his mouth as if to object, but before he could speak, another voice came from the direction of the house.

"Oh, hello, Matthew, Karis. Are you coming by to visit Tyrell?"

Tyrell turned toward the voice and smiled broadly.

"Hi, Mom," he said. "Yeah, they were coming to ask if I could go play with them, but Dad wants me to finish this job." He tried to hide his disappointment, but apparently didn't do a very good job of it.

Tyrell's mother laughed. "Oh, don't worry about it. We've got more than enough firewood already." She rolled her eyes. "And it's not as if you have to be the one to do it... I can't figure out why your father works you so hard sometimes. Just run along, I'll tell your dad that you deserved a break."

Tyrell beamed in disbelief. "Really? Aww, thanks, Mom!" He ran over and hugged her tightly. She hugged him back, wearing as warm a smile as anyone had ever seen.

Karis frowned lightly and let go of Matthew's hand. "Well, alright," she said. "We're going now, if you're ready. Unless you wanted to have lunch first, or anything...?"

Tyrell shook his head. What, was she trying to get rid of him for some reason? "I don't think there's anything else to do, is there, Mom?"

His mother shook her head, her short, red hair swaying gently as she looked down at her son. "Nope," she said. "Go ahead, run along, just be back before dinner, alright? I love you, Tyrell! Have fun, be safe."

Tyrell folded his arms rebelliously. "Yeah, sure, whatever," he said. He didn't want to look like a mama's boy in front of his friends. He waved goodbye, and then the three of them hurried off on their afternoon adventure.

His mother watched them until they were out of sight, and then she returned inside.

* * *

><p>"So, what are we doing?" Tyrell asked when they were on their way. "Just wandering? We've done that a billion times before, what makes this time different?"<p>

Matthew shrugged, and Karis didn't respond. She was staring very intently at Matthew.

Tyrell leaned in front of her gaze. "Hello? Did you hear me?" he asked.

Karis blinked. "Oh! Geez, sorry, I guess I... uh, right. We were going to practice some psynergy. Matthew's mom told him he could borrow her Catch Beads, so we were going to take turns playing with those."

Matthew stopped and smacked himself on the head. He gave the other two an apologetic smile.

"...You forgot the beads, didn't you?" Tyrell asked. When Matthew nodded, he continued. "Oh well, we can just stop at your house on the way, right? It won't be too long."

They hurried over to Matthew's house and he went inside. As the door closed, Tyrell sauntered up to Karis, who was still watching the door Matthew had gone through.

"So, what's going on?" Tyrell asked. "You certainly didn't seem too happy to hear I'd be coming along. Did I make you mad or something?"

Karis shook her head. "No, no!" she said. "Why would you think that? No, I'm happy to hear... I mean, we have fun when we play together, right? The three of us?"

"Yeah, sure, but..." Tyrell began, but he paused. She didn't seem to be paying much attention to him. Her gaze was still locked on Matthew's house.

He watched where she was watching, and for just a split second, Matthew was visible through a window. Karis seemed to lighten up considerably.

Tyrell grinned mischeviously. "_Oooohhhhh,_" he said. "I see what this is all about."

Karis blushed. "What? What are you talking about, this isn't about anything-"

"Matthew and Karis, sitting in a tree! K-I-Oww!"

Tyrell rubbed his nose where Karis had hit him. He laughed, though. "No need to get so mad! Just because I discovered your _secret crush_ doesn't mean you have to hit me!"

Karis blushed harder and looked away. "No, I don't... I don't have a crush! That would be silly, Matthew's my friend! I don't LIKE like him, nothing like that!"

Tyrell leaned in. "Oh, it's okay!" he said. "I understand. You just don't want me around because you don't like me, it has nothing to do with the fact that you wanted a quiet romantic getaway with your bo- OWW!"

He jumped back a little, out of range of Karis's fists. He rubbed his nose, the target of her second onslaught, and noted with some dissatisfaction that it had started to bleed a little. "You'd better stop hitting me," he said, "or else Matthew's gonna want to know why you got so mad at me!"

Karis folded her arms and pouted. "Please don't tell..." she begged. "I'm so embarrassed! I maybe like him just a tiny bit, but don't let him find out!"

Tyrell laughed, still cradling his face. "Alright, fine, I won't tell him," he honked, having squeezed both his nostrils shut to stop blood flow. "But you've been so obvious about it, I'd be amazed if he hadn't figured it out already."

Karis's whole face turned beet-red. "You think...?" she asked quietly. "I... oh, I hope he doesn't, what would he think of me?"

Tyrell shrugged and grinned. "Maybe you should ask him- HEY!" As Karis raised her fist threateningly again, Tyrell jumped back defensively. "I was being serious! Ask him sometime! You never know, maybe he'd like you back!"

A glimmer of hope appeared in Karis's eyes. "R-really?" she asked. "I don't know, maybe... maybe I'll ask him sometime..."

Suddenly, the door opened. Karis cleared her throat and smoothed her dress. Then she folded her hands carefully in front of her. "Hi, Matthew!" she said, just a little too quickly.

Tyrell checked his fingers. The bleeding had stopped. He gave a cursory wipe with the back of his hand, and then wiped that on his pants.

Matthew raised his hand triumphantly, and the Catch Beads glinted in the bright sunlight.

"Oh, great!" Tyrell said. "Today's gonna be a lot of fun. Assuming you still want me around, of course. There's still a big pile of firewood I can cut at home."

Karis shook her head. "Oh, no! Of course, you should definitely come along! I mean, it's not like I'd want to just be alone with Matthew... that'd be silly..." She coughed and blushed again. "N-not that I don't want to be around you, Matthew! Just, I mean... oh, let's just go."

The three of them set off, Tyrell walking behind the two others and snickering quietly to himself, both at Karis's obvious obsession and at Matthew's complete ignorance.

"So, Matthew... this is a new dress that I just got," Karis said. "What do you think of it?"

Matthew looked at her, top to bottom, and shrugged.

As Karis puffed up her cheeks in frustration again, it was all Tyrell could do to keep himself from bursting out laughing.

* * *

><p>A knock came at Garet's door.<p>

"Coming, coming!" he said as he hurried over to open it. "I've got it, don't worry."

He opened it and smiled at the two figures standing before him. "Ivan! Claire! Nice of you to drop by. How's it going?"

Ivan shrugged. "Oh, it's going fine," he said. "The soarwing's giving me trouble, as usual, but aside from that, not much." He looked at his wife, standing tall next to him. "Are we a little early?" he asked.

Garet stared blankly. "...Early?" he asked.

Ivan's wife, Claire, cleared her throat politely. "You had asked us if we wanted to come over for an afternoon get-together. Remember?"

Garet blushed and scratched his head. "Aww, geez, I completely forgot about that! Sorry... well, the good thing is, nothing's going on right now, so, uh, come on in, I guess?" He opened the door further and let the pair in as he called for his wife. "Hey, Mona? Uh... I'm not sure if I remembered to tell you, but-"

"But Ivan and Claire are coming over this afternoon." Mona glided down the stairs gracefully, all smiles. "Yes, I remember. How are you two doing? Don't worry, you aren't interrupting anything. I remembered, even if my _darling husband_ would forget his head if it wasn't screwed on," she teased.

Claire smiled. "It's good to see you, Mona dear. And oh, I know the feeling! Ivan here sometimes forgets to come to bed, what with all the tinkering he does in his workshop..."

"Is that so?" Garet said with a laugh. "Still puzzling over that Roc's Feather, I suppose? Have you gotten it to work yet?"

Ivan blushed. "Well... no, not really. But I've got a really good feeling about it this time! I have an idea that I'm sure will work, just you wait."

"How many times have I heard that in the five years since we found it?" Garet asked idly.

Mona laughed. "Well, I was just going to make some snacks. Claire, would you like to come with me for a bit?"

The taller woman nodded. Claire had naturally green hair falling around her shoulders, and she stood about a head taller than Ivan, a fact which irked her husband considerably, and that Garet never ceased to tease him about.

As Claire began to move toward the kitchen, Garet stopped her. "Uh... would you like me to take your coat? Or... your sword, maybe?"

Claire glanced at the rapier hanging from her hip, and then smiled impishly at Garet. "Thank you, but no," she said. "I may not be in the military anymore, but I still believe that an officer who leaves home without her sword is improperly dressed!"

Garet shrugged and Ivan sighed. When the two men were alone in the room, Ivan whispered, "She just loves to lord it over me, you know? The fact that she could probably take me in a fight."

Garet laughed and slapped his friend on the shoulder. "Oh, don't worry, it's no big deal. Most people could. Anyway, did you hear about that plague over in Morgal? Terrible, terrible thing..."

* * *

><p>"So, why did you really want me to come in here?" Claire asked.<p>

Mona looked at her sadly. "Well, it's nothing big. I just... how do I put this..."

Claire tossed her hair over her shoulder and smiled passively. "It's never anything big, girl. But that's okay. I'm all ears. You can be honest with me, right?"

"...Okay," Mona said. She took a deep breath. "I think Garet's being a little tough on Tyrell, forcing him to do too many chores around the house. I mean, he's only twelve! Shouldn't he be enjoying his childhood a little more thoroughly?"

Claire shrugged. "I dunno. What do you think?"

Mona paused and twiddled her fingers. "I... I'm not sure! That's why I'm asking you. Am I just being overprotective? He needs to grow up, but his father sends him outside to work for several hours a day..."

"I think you're asking the wrong woman," Claire said with a sly grin. "I taught my daughter how to do most of the household chores years ago, and even though I still do a lot of them, I feel it's important to teach her discipline, and that doesn't even include all of the time I spend trying to teach her some combat training."

"But I don't think this is even necessary! He spends all his time chopping firewood, and we've got more than enough as it is." Mona sighed. "It's a pointless chore."

Claire shrugged again. "Maybe Garet's got a good reason? I dunno, you should ask him, not me."

"But-"

"Look, dear," Claire said, walking toward the other woman. "I know he's kind of intimidating, kind of headstrong, but he loves you with all his heart. And heaven knows he relies on you to make intelligent decisions for him. Just talk to him. I'm sure you'll be able to figure something out."

Mona smiled. "...Thanks. I guess I'm just a little shy. And I want what's best for the whole family. I don't want to start any confrontations, but I don't feel like Tyrell needs to be pushed so hard this early in his life."

Claire relaxed, leaning against the kitchen counter. "Don't worry about confrontations. You're stronger than you think, and he knows you've got a good head on your shoulders, too. Once Ivan and I leave, I say you should just talk to him. Bring it up gently. You'll have him eating out of your hand."

"Thanks," Mona said sincerely. "You've been a big help. I don't know about eating out of my hand, but... I think we can compromise, the two of us."

Claire grinned. "It's no problem! We have to stick together, you know? The two of us bagged Warriors of Vale! How many women can say that?" She held up three fingers. "You, me, and Jenna, that's who! And Jenna's a Warrior herself! They're a tough lot to handle, but I believe in you, Mona! You've got this."

Mona laughed and blushed. "Thanks. Now, I really should prepare those snacks. Feel like helping?"

With a nod, the other woman hurried over. "Of course. Garet and Ivan are going to be wondering what's taking so long."

* * *

><p>Another knock came at the door. Garet stood up and stretched. "...I didn't forget anybody else, did I?" he asked rhetorically.<p>

Ivan shook his head. "Not that I know of. Wonder who it is?"

The two of them went to the door. Waving cheerfully on the porch was the mailman, a pouch over his shoulder and a letter in his hand.

"Oh, Sir Garet! Sir Ivan! How fortuitous, this'll save me a trip. I have a delivery notification for each of you. Or rather, for your wives." He handed Garet the card in his hand, and then retrieved a second from his pouch to give to Ivan. "They have packages waiting at Patcher's Place. I'll be going over later on with my cart if they need transportation."

Garet and Ivan looked at each other, and then back at the mailman. "Packages? My wife didn't tell me about any package."

The mailman shrugged. "Not my business!" he said quickly. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have several more houses to get to. I'll be leaving in an hour if anyone wants to hitch a ride. It's a long distance, but it's a service I offer free of charge!"

Ivan raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? I haven't heard that before."

"It's a new service!" the man said. "Messages delivered! Good day!" And he spun 180 degrees and walked off of the porch.

"Odd one," Garet said as he closed the door.

"Who's an odd one?"

Garet looked up and saw Mona and Claire returning from the kitchen, each holding a tray of finger foods. "Was someone at the door?" Mona continued. "What did they want?"

Ivan held up his letter. "The two of you apparently have packages waiting for you at Patcher's Place," he said. "The mailman was just acting a little odd. Maybe he's just having an off day."

Garet cleared his throat. "Anyway, if you want, I'll head down and pick up your package for you. Apparently the mailman's offering a free taxi service as well, but this way we don't have to meet his schedule."

Mona blushed. "Oh, no! Don't worry about it. I'll pick it up. I think I know what it is."

Claire stared at the letter in Ivan's hand awkwardly. "That so?" she said. "Because I didn't order anything at all. Oh well, mail's mail. I'll go too, we can go together."

She went into the living room and put her tray down. She sat on the couch, and Ivan followed her. The two began to talk amongst themselves.

Garet stopped Mona before she could follow. "Are you sure you don't want me to go in your place?" Garet whispered.

But his wife shook her head. "Well... you see, I think it's an anniversary present I ordered for you. It's a little early, but... I guess I just want to make sure I can wrap it before you see it."

Garet's eyebrows raised. "An anniversary gift? You had one ordered?"

She nodded.

"...Was it expensive?" Garet asked hesitantly.

"It was worth every penny," Mona replied cryptically. "Oh, uh... speaking of which..."

She stood on the tips of her toes and leaned in toward Garet. "I'm worried that you're being a little rough on Tyrell," she whispered in his ear. "I mean... he's only twelve. Are you sure you aren't working him too hard?"

Garet took a step back and put a hand on his chin. He hadn't really thought about it. After all, when he had been twelve... no, wait, that was when he was fourteen. And he had decided to do it himself.

"I guess I wasn't thinking," Garet said. "I mean, there's a good reason for the extra firewood. I was going to try teaching him some higher-level psynergy tonight, and chopping all that wood was good exercise anyway."

"Even so," Mona said in a concerned voice, "do you think maybe you should take it a little easier on him? He's just a kid, after all."

Garet nodded. "Gotcha. Sorry about that. I'll tell him to take the day off tomorrow."

"I... might've told him to take the day off today already," she replied. "His friends came over and they were doing something exciting. I was hoping you wouldn't mind."

Garet shrugged. "Don't worry, I'm fine with it. I'll talk to him when he gets back. For now, I think we shouldn't leave Ivan and his wife waiting much longer, should we?"

Mona blushed. "Oh! Right." She hurried into the living room, Garet just a few steps behind her. The get-together would have to be cut short so the girls could leave for Patcher's Place, but there would always be another day.

* * *

><p>"Okay, my turn, my turn!" Karis shouted as Tyrell tossed the apple they had been practicing with back up to Matthew.<p>

Matthew was sitting high in a tree, where they had rigged a simple device to hold the apple steady in midair. It was sort of a cut-down basket hanging from a rope. Matthew was positioned so he could easily reach over and put the fruit into its holster without injuring himself.

Karis took the Catch Beads from Tyrell. "You had like, 5 turns in a row!" she said. "It's only fair that I get 5 turns, too."

Tyrell laughed. "What about poor Matthew? Don't you _care_ about him at all?"

Karis glared at Tyrell, but folded her hands sheepishly. "Well... I guess if Matthew wants a turn next, he can go too..."

Matthew shook his head from his perch, and waved to indicate that Karis should just hurry and take her turn already.

Karis smiled, embarrassed. "Alright, uh... here I go!" she said.

She raised a hand in the apple's direction and focused her psynergy through the beads. She felt, rather than saw, an ethereal hand fly out in the apple's direction.

It fell just a little short, grabbing at air before returning to her.

"Having trouble?" Tyrell asked. "Maybe you should get _Matthew_ to lower the basket a little."

Karis growled. "I'm fine! Thank you!" she shouted before trying again.

Again, the hand flew short.

What was she doing wrong? She was just as talented with psynergy as the other boys. Maybe she just wasn't in a very good position. Yeah, that was it – Tyrell had been WAY closer. It was just really hard to grab things from that far away.

"I'm gonna get closer," Karis announced. She took several wide steps forward and then unleashed the strongest Catch she could muster.

This time, she was too close, and the hand flew through the basket to clutch at empty air behind it... but the force of its passing shook it to the point that the apple fell out of its holster. The fruit fell to the ground and burst on a hard rock.

Karis frowned. "...I'm sorry, guys," she said. "I screwed up. Here, let me help get that basket down."

She hurried over to the tree where Matthew was sitting, even as he began to shimmy his way over to the branch the basket was hanging from. She clambered up as quickly as she could, hoping to do something useful to make up for ruining their game.

On her way up, she happened to look at Matthew.

He was watching her, smiling.

She felt a rush of hopeful happiness welling up within her heart. She smiled back.

And then she missed her next handhold and fell crashing to the ground. She landed awkwardly on one leg and a loud crack resonated throughout the forest.

There was a strange moment of peace before her leg exploded into agony and she began to cry.

Tyrell hurried over and Matthew jumped from his branch, landing dextrously on the forest floor next to her.

"Are you alright?" Tyrell asked. Matthew's face held serious concern.

Karis sniffled. "My... my leg!" she cried. "I think it's broken."

Tyrell looked down, and after a moment, he recoiled in horror. "Yep! Yep, that's definitely a broken angle," he said. "We'd better get you home. Here, give me the beads. Matthew, you should probably carry her."

As Karis handed over the beads, Matthew looked at Tyrell in askance.

The red-haired boy shrugged. "I... I don't know, my arms are tired from all that woodcutting! I'll probably drop her. She'll be safer in your arms. You can handle her, right?"

Matthew rolled his eyes and scooped up Karis, carefully avoiding her leg. When he was sure she was secure, he started off toward Kalay, motioning with his head for Tyrell to follow.

Karis wrapped her arms around Matthew's neck for support. She let her head nestle into his chest. The ride was a little bumpy, and her leg was still screaming at her in pain, but she did her best to stop crying. After all, she thought as she relaxed in his grip, this helped make it all better.

She craned her leg around Matthew's arm to look at Tyrell. The goofball was flashing her an idiotic thumbs-up.

Karis rolled her eyes, but she still managed to mouth the words "Thank you" before the position became too painful to maintain. She rested her head back against Matthew's chest and let the sound of his heartbeat take her mind off of her broken leg.

* * *

><p>With the mailman sitting impatiently in his cart, Claire waiting in the back seat, Mona hugged her husband goodbye.<p>

"I'll be back soon," she said. "Don't wait up."

Garet nodded. "Ah, before you go..." he began, before dipping into a pouch at his waist, "I have a little gift for you. I mean, it's your anniversary present, but... I couldn't wait, you know? I want to see how it looks on you."

He drew out a beautiful golden necklace, a small red ruby set in the front.

"The gem matches your hair perfectly," he said. "That's good. I was a little worried when I bought it-"

Mona gasped. "Garet, it's... it's beautiful! It's wonderful, thank you so much!" She took the necklace and looked at it more closely. "But wait, if it's an anniversary gift..."

Garet grinned. "Oh, what difference does a week make? Put it on, I want to see how it looks before you go."

She opened it and clasped it around her neck. With a quick adjustment to make sure the ruby was centered properly, she struck a simple pose. "What do you think?" she asked.

"Worth every penny," Garet said with a smile.

Mona began to climb aboard the cart, but stopped. "Wait... every penny? Garet, was this expensive? We can't afford to keep getting each other expensive gifts-"

"Getting each other expensive gifts? Why, did you get me something pricey, too?" Garet rubbed his head anxiously. "You didn't need to! I appreciate it, but I'm a simple man, with simple tastes! I don't want to put us in the poorhouse..."

The mailman cleared his throat loudly.

Mona giggled. "Don't worry. Thank you, Garet. It's beautiful. I'll never take it off."

"Don't mention it-" Garet began, but he was interrupted by the sound of rapid footsteps behind him.

He turned to see Ivan sprinting toward the cart, his blonde hair wild and unkempt. "Karis broke her leg!" he said, out of breath. "She fell out of a tree. Matthew and Tyrell just brought her back."

Claire stood from her seat. "What? Is she okay?" she asked.

Ivan nodded. "She'll be fine, but she's in a lot of pain. She needs attention."

Claire paused hesitantly. She looked at the receipt in her hand, the ticket she'd be using to retrieve whatever package had come for her.

"Don't worry," Mona said, "Go see to your daughter. Give me your ticket and I'll bring both of our packages back."

Claire threw her arms around the other woman. "Thank you so much, dear. I appreciate it. I owe you a favor." She vaulted the edge of the cart and handed Garet's wife the ticket in her hand.

Ivan and Claire then hurried off in the direction of their house.

Garet watched them go. "Uh... I might go see if I can help, too," he said. "Are you sure you're okay with going alone?"

Mona nodded. "I'll be fine. Go take care of Karis. Oh, and don't forget to talk to Tyrell, right?"

"Of course," Garet said. "You won't be lonely on your own?"

"It could always be worse," Mona said with a shrug.

Garet smiled and kissed his wife goodbye. "I'll see you when you get back, then," he said.

She gave a gentle wave, and then the mailman snapped his reins and the horses at the head of the cart started off.

As he headed toward Ivan's house, he found himself wondering what his wife had gotten him. He didn't have anything that he was really hoping to get, and the fact that she had seemed to hint at a higher-priced item worried him slightly. But he was certainly glad to have given her his own gift before she left. Sure, it flew in the face of tradition to give an anniversary present before the anniversary itself, but who cared? Not Garet, that was certain.

He loved his wife very much. She deserved everything he had to offer her. He couldn't bear to wait until she returned home again.

He had no way of knowing that just a few minutes ago had been the last time he would ever see her alive.


	4. End of the Road Pt2

**Golden Sun belongs to Nintendo and Camelot, not me. Support them if you like the series! I just write fanstuff. And if you feel like borrowing any of my original ideas, please, go right ahead.**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Title:<strong> END OF THE ROAD (part 2)_

_**Genre:** Tragedy_

_**Rating:** T _

_**Characters:** Garet, Tyrell, Mia_

_**Summary:** Garet's wife is killed mysteriously while on an errand. Garet himself ends up a broken man and Tyrell ends up having to fend for himself while his father fails to deal with grief. The other Warriors of Vale do their best to support the family, but what is there to do aside from well-wishing and good intentions?_

_**Origin:** A request by JamesK716, seeing as how we have little to no backstory on Garet and Tyrell. Their tragic history is just begging to be fleshed out._

_**Time Period:** Before Dark Dawn_

* * *

><p>"Hey, Dad." Tyrell looked sadly up at his father when Garet arrived. Kalay was full of adepts, having received most of the Vale refugees decades before, so the town actually had a hospital staffed with Mercury Adepts. None were anywhere near as talented as Mia or Piers, however. Karis would need to let her leg heal the old fashioned way, and all the doctors could do was to guide it along and avoid complications.<p>

She lay in a hospital bed unconscious. After Ivan, Matthew and Tyrell had brought her over, Ivan put her to sleep with psynergy to help her cope with the pain. Now, her leg was in a splint and she was resting peacefully.

"Karis fell out of a tree," Tyrell continued. "We were playing with the Catch Beads, and she missed the thing we were practicing with, so she went up to try to fix it." He gulped. "She, uh, missed a handhold. I don't know why."

Claire and Garet nodded in understanding. Ivan put a hand on his daughter's shoulder to reassure himself that she was okay. Matthew simply stood in the corner glumly.

Garet gave his son a comforting smile. "Don't worry, Tyrell, these things happen. She's in good hands, and she'll be back on both feet before you know it." He took on a more serious look. "Your mom spoke to me about all the work I've been having you do, and I wanted to apologize. I've been giving you too many chores."

Tyrell blushed and smiled nervously. "Yeah... sorry I didn't chop all the firewood like you wanted me to."

"We've got enough," Garet admitted. "But I know something we can do with the extra wood."

Tyrell cocked his head quizzically.

Ivan looked up at his friend. "It's okay, I think we can handle things here. Matthew's parents should be showing up soon to take him home too. I appreciate you coming by, Garet, and thanks a lot for the help, Tyrell."

"Thanks, Ivan, Claire. I hope your daughter gets well soon." With that, Garet waved goodbye, and motioned for Tyrell to follow out of the room.

As they left, they saw Isaac and Jenna coming down the hallway.

"Garet! Is everything okay?" Isaac asked. "How's Karis doing?"

Tyrell ran up to the pair. "She's fine. Here, Miss Jenna! I still have your beads." He pushed them into the woman's hands and then stepped back. "Thanks for letting us borrow them. They were lots of fun."

Jenna patted Tyrell on the shoulder. "I'm glad you enjoyed them, though I do feel kind of bad. Karis wouldn't have hurt herself if I hadn't let you borrow these."

Tyrell shook his head. "No, she wouldn't have hurt herself if she would just learn how to aim properly. She's terrible at- Ow, hey!"

Garet grabbed his son in a headlock. "YOU, Mister, need to learn to be a little nicer to your friends!"

Isaac and Jenna laughed. Gesturing to the door, Isaac spoke. "I guess Matthew's still inside? It's good that Karis is healthy, but I'm glad we came to check anyway."

Garet nodded. "Ivan and his wife've got it under control. As for us... I was thinking of heading home to teach Tyrell a little bit of combat psynergy."

Tyrell wriggled out of his dad's grip and gasped in amazement. "You mean... no way, are you serious?"

"Well, what good is firewood if you don't burn it?" Garet joked. "Your mom's gone to Patcher's Place to pick up a package, so she'll be gone for..."

He put a hand to his chin. "Uh... actually, I don't know. I forgot to ask."

"She's going alone?" Jenna responded. "Not that it's far, but the wilderness can be dangerous for the unprepared."

"The mailman offered to give her a ride over. Some new service, he said. I didn't ask when he'd be taking her back, though."

Isaac sighed. "Oh well, he'll probably be back tomorrow with new mail anyway. My guess is if Mona's not back by tonight, she'll show up with the mail cart tomorrow. At least Patcher's Place has a nice inn she can stay at."

"Yeah, you're probably right," Garet said. "Oh well, at least Tyrell and I have something to do while she's out. Right?"

Tyrell hopped up and down excitedly. "Yeah! Let's go!" He took off running.

Garet gave an exaggerated shrug before following after. "Boys will be boys!" he joked.

* * *

><p>The next day, as the sun approached its zenith, the pair of them stood outside and admired the several-foot-high pile of charred wood they had created the night before. Garet had been showing off, and Tyrell had been enthusiastic – together, they did a bit more damage than either had intended.<p>

"...I guess we really ARE low on firewood now, huh?" Tyrell asked.

Garet shrugged. "I guess so. It doesn't really matter, though. I'm still feeling pumped from last night. You should take the day off, I've been working you to the bone. I'll replenish our firewood supply on my own, it'll take like 15 minutes. You just head off and play with your friends."

"But Karis is still in the hospital..." Tyrell said sadly.

"Go visit her then," Garet replied, "or see what Matthew's up to. It's up to you. Just consider this a free day. Practice what you've learned, if you want, as long as you don't set anything important on fire."

His son nodded. "Alright, thanks! I'll see you later, then. Hi, Mr Isaac!"

Tyrell hurried off, passing Isaac as he ran. Garet waved in greeting as his friend approached. He stopped when he saw the concerned look on Isaac's face.

"What's wrong?" Garet asked. "You look like you think someone's planning to steal your lunch money. Something bothering you?"

Isaac nodded and, looking around to make sure Tyrell was out of earshot, lowered his voice.

"It's not much. It's probably nothing, but... did you notice that the mail hasn't come in today?"

Garet rolled his eyes. "Well, yeah. If it had arrived, Mona would probably be back. The mailman isn't even late. He never drops anything off before lunchtime."

"But... he's usually in town by now," Isaac said. "He stops for a bite to eat before making any deliveries. I haven't seen him come by, have you?"

"...Maybe there's just no mail today?"

"For the entire city? Come on, Garet, think." Isaac shook his head. "Normally I wouldn't be concerned, but your wife's with him, and... I just don't have a good feeling about it."

That gave Garet pause. He had known Isaac long enough to trust the man's instincts.

"...So what do we do?" Garet asked. "Head to Patcher's Place, make sure it's still standing?"

"Still standing? I wouldn't go that far," Isaac replied. "I'm not saying you should expect the worst, just... luck favors the prepared. If you don't have anything else going on, I think you and I should head down the road and see if anything's going on."

"What about Ivan?"

"No need to worry Ivan, he's got his daughter to look after."

Garet nodded. "Understood. Just give me a few minutes to cut enough firewood to replace this pile here."

He gestured to the massive burnt pile before moving to grab several large logs he had been storing. Isaac stared incredulously.

"...A few minutes to cut all that?" he asked.

Garet hefted his Stellar Axe. "Sorry, did you say something?" he asked.

Isaac chuckled and shook his head. "A few minutes. Got it. I'll meet you on the road out of town, alright? Might want to bring a jacket, it looks like it might rain."

* * *

><p>As Isaac predicted, a downpour started just before they took off down the road to Patcher's Place. While the morning had been bright and sunny, the sky was now solidly clouded over, and the rain was so heavy that the pair couldn't see more than ten feet in front of them as they marched. Before long, the trail was muddy, the two men were soaked from head to toe, and Garet was considering turning back.<p>

"Isaac, buddy," he shouted over the pouring rain, "I dunno how long we can keep going like this. Are you sure we're even still following the road?"

Isaac turned to look at Garet as they pushed on through. "I'm positive," he said. "The trail's completely bare, and there's plenty of grass on either side. This road's pretty well-traveled. We should be there soon, anyway, and then we'll be able to dry off inside."

Garet sighed, not that Isaac would be able to hear his complaints unless he voiced them. This was REALLY bad weather.

"Have you seen anything yet?" Garet asked idly.

"Not a thing. Maybe we... hang on." Isaac paused. "I think I see something over by the treeline."

Garet turned to look, but couldn't see anything. "What is it?" he asked.

Isaac shrugged. "It's a... a brown shape! I don't know, I can't see from here. I'm taking a closer look."

"Hey, hold on!" Garet cried. But Isaac ignored him and continued away from the beaten path. With another frustrated sigh, Garet hesitantly followed.

They came across a large, spoked wheel lying against a tree. It was damaged, but there was no indication of where it might have come from; the rain had washed away any tracks that it would have made.

Isaac mumbled something.

"What?" Garet shouted.

"It... it's probably nothing!" Isaac responded. "I haven't seen this here before. Do you want to try to see where it might have come from?"

Garet threw out his arms. "Cripes, Isaac! We're trying to head to Patcher's Place, we're soaked from head to toe, and you want to go on a scavenger hunt?"

Isaac said nothing. He looked unsure. Garet tapped his foot impatiently, the mud squishing with each movement.

"...I'm worried about what we might find," Isaac said. "Maybe you're right. Maybe we should just go to Patcher's."

"Oh no!" Garet said sarcastically as he began to pace. "Let's indulge your little whim. We could find the thing this is attached to, and maybe we'll..." He trailed off. "...We'll... oh, no."

* * *

><p>Isaac cursed quietly as Garet dashed off. He already knew what his friend would find. Isaac remained crouched near the fallen wheel as he heard Garet's chanted denials through the heavy rain.<p>

"No... no, no no no no no..."

Isaac stood slowly, hoping very, very hard that he was wrong. What did it matter that the wheel they had found was the same type used on the mail cart? It could have been some other cart with the same design. Or maybe it WAS the mail cart, and it had just broken down or something along the track.

"ISAAC! Get over here RIGHT NOW!"

Blinking back the beginning of tears, he began to walk toward Garet's voice. He sensed that they were the only two living beings within several miles. He prayed that it meant the cart's driver and passenger had gotten to safety-

"It's the mail cart, Isaac, it's broken, and it looks like somebody..." A pause. "Oh, gods... Isaac, please..."

The cart was laying on its side, one wheel obviously missing, but it was covered in scratches and dents. Several arrows were embedded in one side.

"It's the mailman, Isaac," Garet said. "...I think he's dead. There's a lot of blood. Oh, gods... just..."

Behind the cart, where Garet was looking, was a body that had once belonged to the cart's driver. There were several long tears in the body's clothing, and while the rain had probably washed a lot of the blood away, there were deep red stains everywhere they looked.

"...It looks like this happened earlier today," Isaac said. "Probably before the rain began. It's too muddy to see any tracks-"

"Do you feel anyone around, Isaac?" Garet interrupted. "Just tell me... there's somebody alive nearby..."

Isaac paused and covered his mouth with one hand. He tried his best to look contemplative. He inclined his head a little bit to make it look like the water running down his face was from the rain alone.

"Garet, maybe... maybe she's still back there? Who knows, she probably-"

Garet shouted in fury and kicked the cart, hard. It tore in half, sending part of it flying across to the other side of the road.

As the bigger man clutched his head, Isaac could've sworn he heard the rain sizzle as it landed on Garet's shoulders.

"Garet, I-"

"Screw it. Screw everything. I'm going to look for her."

Garet turned sharply and walked directly into the woods. Isaac began to utter a warning – it would be easy to get lost with the visibility so low – but he knew that Garet was a passionate man. Trying to dissuade him, even from a course of action as futile as this, would be dangerous.

Isaac closed the dead mailman's eyes and followed Garet into the woods.

He didn't need to go far.

Just a short distance in, in what could almost be considered a clearing, Garet was on his knees, arms limp at his sides, next to a crumpled form lying against a withered oak tree.

"Garet-"

"...She's gone, Isaac."

He didn't know if Garet had moved her to a more dignified position or if she had died that way, but Mona was sitting peacefully, her red hair fallen around her face. A deep red stain marked a single stab wound in the center of her chest.

Isaac covered his eyes with a hand. Mona had been his friend, too, and Jenna's. To lose her so suddenly, and without warning... it was nearly unbearable. He couldn't help but cry.

And he couldn't imagine what Garet was going through.

Garet sat in the mud and picked up his wife's body. He cradled her in his arms, rested his head against her neck. He gave several long, shuddering sobs.

"Her necklace is gone..." he said offhandedly. "I just gave it to her before she left. It was a ruby necklace, the same color as her hair..." He sniffled loudly. "It looked beautiful on her."

"...I'm sorry, Garet," Isaac said. "There's really nothing I can say. I don't... I can't imagine what this is like for you."

"No," Garet said, "You can't."

They remained as they were, Isaac standing and Garet sitting, for several minutes, the rain beating down on them. Steam was visibly rising from Garet's hunched frame as his emotions ran wild. The rain boiled and evaporated upon contact with him.

"It must have been bandits," Isaac stammered after a long silence. "They took all of her valuables, broke the cart... maybe she tried to escape after they injured her-"

"They killed her? Just for the necklace?" Garet said.

Isaac hastily corrected himself. "N-no! It's not that, they-"

"Bullshit. This wasn't bandits. It couldn't have been."

Isaac sighed. "I'm sorry, but it had to be. Who else could it have been?"

"What kind of bandit can just break the wheel off a cart like that?" Garet said. "And the cuts on the other body... those belonged to a skilled swordsman, Isaac. Someone came after her."

They both paused. The only sound came from the rain falling through the trees.

"Garet... I'm sorry, but I don't think you're right," Isaac said. "Bandits need to be somewhat skilled in order to make their living. I don't see anything special about the wounds. And the fact that all of the valuables are gone means-"

"I DON'T GIVE A SHIT WHAT IT MEANS!" Garet shouted. He smashed his fist into the tree next to them. With a roaring crack, it splintered and fell away.

Garet gripped the tree's stump with one hand, his knuckles white. "There has to have been a reason. It had to be... it couldn't just have been random. Why her? Why would someone just kill her, Isaac? Just at random?"

His hand ignited.

"Why her? Why... why me? Why us?" He swung his hand toward the fallen oak. "WHY?"

The tree exploded into flame, a wave of heat turning the rain instantly to steam all around them. Isaac shielded his eyes and coughed as the hot air rushed into his nostrils.

"Garet! CALM DOWN!" Isaac shouted. "You're going to burn down-"

"What does it matter?" Garet cried in response. He stood suddenly, his wife's body being dumped unceremoniously on the ground before him. "She's gone, Isaac! My wife is gone, and she's never coming back!"

He sent another gout of flame in the opposite direction. Several saplings turned to ash instantly, and the larger trees began to burn.

"What's the point of doing anything if it'll all be taken away?" Garet shouted. "Who cares about this forest? It'll be gone someday anyway! Why live, when you're only going to die, hopeless and alone?"

He snapped his fingers and several more trees burst into flame.

"Garet, stop!" Isaac shouted. He took several steps toward his friend.

Garet simply backhanded him hard. Isaac felt one of his ribs crack before he flew through the air.

"Nothing matters, Isaac! Everything you work for, everything you know and love, is just going to vanish and disappear!"

Isaac got to his feet slowly. "Garet, I'm sorry that she's gone! I really am. She was my friend. But you need to get a hold of yourself! You've got a son who needs you-"

"Yeah, for now!" Garet said. "How long before he's gone, too? Karis broke her arm yesterday, what if it'd been her neck? What if it had been Tyrell in her place?"

Garet clenched his fists.

"Just give me one reason, Isaac. One goddamned reason. What's the point of keeping going? My wife's dead. She meant everything to me, and now she's dead. Killed by some lowlifes looking for someone else's coin!"

Isaac shook his head. "I don't know, Garet. You have to find some meaning to put into your own life-"

"MY LIFE HAS NO MEANING ANYMORE!" the Mars adept shouted. A wave of heat rushed forward. "She's gone. My son will be gone. I'll be gone, you'll be gone, everyone will just die and rot." Another wave of heat, more intense this time. "We saved the world. But why did we bother? It only bought it a little more time before the next thing that wants to destroy it." A third wave of heat. Sweat broke out across Isaac's forehead. "Who cares anymore? Why wait? Why not just-"

Isaac thrust out a hand. He put out a call in his head and summoned forth a djinni.

The elemental being known as Ground came to the fore, and Garet collapsed, pinned to the ground by a heavy force of gravity.

Isaac panted, clutching his chest and broken rib. He wiped off his forehead with the back of his hand.

Garet growled loudly. He planted his hands on the ground and pushed with all his might.

Isaac watched in disbelief as Garet fought to get back to his feet, ignoring an attack that had previously pinned _dragons_ to the floor.

The Venus adept rushed over and knelt next to Garet.

"Garet, you need to stop this before you set the whole goddamn forest on fire," he said. "There are better ways to-"

"SHUT UP!"

Garet lashed out with one arm. Isaac dodged, and with the sudden lack of support Garet fell hard to the ground. As his head hit the mud, he began again to struggle to his feet.

Isaac threw a single well-aimed punch, and Garet fell unconscious.

Looking around, Isaac saw that the rain was already starting to put out most of the fires that Garet had started. The fallen oak was still burning brightly; one burst of psynergy later, it was covered in dirt and the fire was extinguished.

Isaac picked up his fallen friend and his friend's dead wife, and began to mournfully make his way back to Kalay to tell everyone the bad news.


End file.
